Exploring the psychological impacts of a gestational cancer diagnosis on women: a literature review.

BACKGROUND: One in 1000 women are diagnosed with gestational cancer in the UK. Of these, the greatest number are breast cancer diagnoses. The rate of gestational cancer is expected to increase due to women choosing to become pregnant later in life. AIMS: To explore the experiences of women with a gestational cancer diagnosis to identify how the support provided to them by the multidisciplinary team could be enhanced. METHOD: A systematic literature review using Medline, CINAHL Complete and Complementary Index. Seven primary research articles were selected for in-depth analysis. Thematic analysis was completed and developed with academic and peer supervision. FINDINGS: Three themes were identified: 'time pressures and decision-making, balanced with concerns for the health and wellbeing of the baby and self'; 'fears about parenting' and 'the influence of support'. Within all themes, distress was most commonly caused by poor or inconsistent communication between health professionals, which left women feeling disempowered and anxious about decision-making. CONCLUSION: Women diagnosed with gestational cancer have unique support needs arising from receipt of a devastating diagnosis at what should be a happy time. The experience of being under the care of two discrete teams can result in uncertainty and distress when inconsistent messages about treatment are given. Support can be significantly enhanced by having a named midwife who attends all multidisciplinary team meetings about the woman concerned, who can assess for distress and who can signpost psychosocial support, based on the individual woman's needs.

Using the transtheoretical model of behaviour change to analyse the impact of stopping exercise: a reflection.

This article is an analytical reflection of the personal health journey of a first-year nursing student that was undertaken as part of a first-year unit of study. Focusing on social, physical and psychological aspects of health, it explores the impact of the cessation of exercise on her emotional and physical health and wellbeing. This is relevant to current practice as a result of COVID-19, which reduced opportunities for exercise for many people, whether because of self-isolation and lockdown restrictions on leisure facilities or increased workload and caring responsibilities, all of which affect health and wellbeing. The article is presented in the first person, reflecting the personal analysis it captures.

Nursing measures to support the needs of haematological cancer survivors post-treatment: a literature review.

BACKGROUND: Patients with haematological cancers are surviving longer due to increasingly effective treatments. Many patients continue to need support and advice after treatment ends. AIMS: To review the support needs of patients after treatment for haematological cancer, in order to establish nursing measures for supporting them. Methods: A literature review and thematic analysis of six primary research articles. FINDINGS: Three themes were identified: a sense of abandonment, education about late effects, and becoming a survivor. CONCLUSION: Understanding an individual's support needs after treatment for haematological cancer enables nurses to offer sensitive, individualised care to patients. A tailored survivorship plan, led by a specialist nurse, helps to meet the ongoing holistic needs of haematological cancer patients.

A personal reflection: using theoretical frameworks to understand the impact of starting university on health and wellbeing.

This article presents a personal reflection using theoretical frameworks as the basis of understanding multifaceted influences on the personal health of the primary author since beginning undergraduate university degree studies in nursing. It also explores theoretical and lay definitions of health and wellbeing, before analysing influences on health from a personal perspective. This illustrates how understanding, developed through the use of theoretical frameworks, can enable individuals to enhance their own health and wellbeing.

Nursing considerations for supporting cancer patients with metastatic spinal cord compression: a literature review.

BACKGROUND: metastatic spinal cord compression (MSCC) is an oncology emergency. Prevalence is increasing. Treatment and care are complex and those diagnosed may be faced with life-changing challenges. AIMS: to review the impact and management of MSCC in patients with cancer, in order to analyse nursing considerations for supporting patients. METHODS: a literature review and thematic analysis of five primary research papers, published between 2009 and 2014. FINDINGS: two themes of prognosis/survival time and independence versus dependence were discovered. CONCLUSIONS: the onset of MSCC may result in paralysis and associated loss of independence, impacting on a patient's quality of life. Understanding individuals' prognosis and treatment/care preferences is fundamental for the sensitive, individualised support of patients with MSCC. The findings reinforce the nurses' role in health education, in order to raise awareness of MSCC and promote early diagnosis so that patients maintain function and independence as long as possible. The findings support the need for nurses to be equipped with appropriate communication skills to initiate and engage in sensitive, difficult and proactive conversations with patients and their families, supporting the delivery of humanised care.

Mutual suffering: a nurse's story of caring for the living as they are dying.

The aim of this study was to uncover the meaning of the lived experience of mutual suffering in relation to the care of a dying patient. The study took place within an acute medical ward in a district general hospital on the south coast of England as part of a reflective practice development programme. Parse's human becoming theory provided a framework for the study and Parse's research methodology was adopted. Understanding the nature of human relationships within nursing practice is central to nursing work, enabling patients and their health-professional carers to live and work healthily in the context of human becoming. Illuminating mutual suffering through reflection enables nursing and health-care professionals to acknowledge the paradoxes of practice and, thus, create new strategies for the provision of care and the improvement of practice, so that quality of life is maximized for the patient and for themselves.

The management of breathlessness in palliative care.

Breathlessness poses a significant problem in cancer care. Tanya Andrewes provides an overview of this symptom and discusses strategies for management.